Dubai residents choose health and car insurance over home insurance

August 30, 2015 10:05 am

Health and car insurance are widely adopted by employed Dubai residents, while 61 per cent of Dubai residents live without home insurance.

A recent poll showed that more than six out of ten Dubai residents do not have home insurance. The online survey, responded to by more than 200 employees in Dubai, was conducted by MoveSouq.com, a Dubai-based online home services marketplace, and RSA, a leading provider of insurance services in the region.

“Given the widely reported incidents of apartment building fires in major residential areas of Dubai, it is quite surprising that so many homes remain uninsured, even when basic content insurance is widely available and affordable,” Bana Shomali, CEO of MoveSouq.com, told Khaleej Times.

Health and car insurance, however, are widely adopted in the city, with more than nine out of ten (91 per cent) employed Dubai residents confirming that they have medical insurance. The respondents who own a car have all confirmed they have motor insurance.

“The relatively higher uptake of these types of insurance should come as no surprise as they are mandated by the government,” Shomali said.

The poll showed that only 25 per cent of renters feel the need to have home insurance coverage, while 67 per cent of apartment buildings and 50 per cent of villas in Dubai are uninsured.

“While it is not surprising to see that the uptake of home content insurance remains low in Dubai, it is alarming that it is used the least compared to other types of insurance, with only three out of ten saying they have applied for it. These penetration levels are far lower than more mature markets in the West and can be attributed to the prevailing perception among a majority of residents that home and content insurance are not necessary or that they are not worth the expense,” David Harris, RSA’s Sales & Marketing Director, explained to Khaleej Times.

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